


One Cup to Rule

by nightlight9



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - No Hale Fire, M/M, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-09
Updated: 2016-07-09
Packaged: 2018-07-19 13:30:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7363213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nightlight9/pseuds/nightlight9
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Derek owns a coffee shop and bakery in the heart of Beacon Hills. When Stiles returns from college, he approaches the werewolf, furious that his dad frequents the café for pastries.</p>
            </blockquote>





	One Cup to Rule

There are a lot of things that Derek loves about Beacon Hills. First and foremost, everyone that he loves lives in the small California town: his family, his friends, his pack. On top of that, he knows the territory, and the preserve where his family lives gives his wolf plenty of room to run and explore. When he finished his degree from the Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park, there was never any doubt that he would return to Beacon Hills. Sure, he had come to love New York, but it wasn’t home. His small town in California was, and he never wanted to live anywhere else. 

The first thing that he did after graduation was open One Cup to Rule, affectionately called The Cup by the people in town. He designed the small café with a soft atmosphere, plush chairs and window seats. It was important to him that his shop was a cozy place, somewhere people could come and relax in good company. The café and bakery quickly became his pride and joy (his sister jokes that he’s married to the shop). And his favorite time of day is the morning, when the town is just waking up and he can greet the people of Beacon Hills with fresh coffee and warm pastries. Greeting them at the start of the day makes his own early mornings worth it. 

Derek is just setting out a fresh batch of scones when the bell above the door chimes. He looks up and smiles at the men in uniform. “Good morning Sheriff, Parrish.”

“Morning Derek,” John replies with a smile. “What do you have for us today?” Every morning a few officers come by to pick up some of Derek’s fresh pastries for the station, so the interaction is easy.

He gestures towards his pastry display. “I have raspberry and blackberry scones, blueberry or banana nut muffins, and the coffee cakes should be done any minute.”

John rubs his hands together. “I think we’ll wait for the cakes.”

Derek smiles. “Sure thing, and I’ll bag up some of the scones for the other deputies.” He turns around and starts making up their coffee orders, which he has memorized, making casual conversation with them. This is why he doesn’t really have any employees to help him out around the café. Sometimes his cousins will pick up some shifts, but he primarily runs it on his own. But that’s how he likes it. He likes being able to get to know his regulars, like being able to hear that John is going out of town to see his son graduate from college or that Jordan is thinking about adopting a puppy. 

When Derek brings out the fresh coffee cakes, Jordan groans. “You are seriously the best,” he says around a sip of his coffee. 

John reaches out to pat his back. “That’s the truth. We don’t need a Starbucks in our town, we have something better.”

Derek laughs at the compliment, feeling warm. He packs up a few of the coffee cakes and then passes the bags to Jordan.

“Thank you, Derek. We’ll see you tomorrow. Tell your mom ‘hello’ for me.”

Derek waves goodbye and returns to the kitchen to make up some dough before the next round of customers show up.

\------------

Derek is leaning on the counter talking to his pack-mate Isaac a few weeks later when his calm morning is shattered. 

The door to the café bangs open and in storms an angry stranger. The anger takes Derek by surprise, he’s never met the young man before. Its sharp scent makes his wolf whine. 

“What exactly are you playing at here, Buddy,” the man demands, jabbing a finger at Derek’s chest. It’s so out of the ordinary that all Derek can do in response is shake his head and stare. The man huffs. “You’ve been giving my dad sweets and pastries! Do you have any idea how hard I’ve worked to make sure that his diet is as healthy as possible, and then you waltz into town and feed him butter and sugar every day! What the hell is wrong with you?”

Derek blinks at him. “I own a bakery. What do you expect me to sell?”

His response makes the man narrow his eyes. “I don’t care what kind of place this is, stop giving my dad your pastries, got it?” Derek’s mouth drops open when the stranger jabs his chest again. Before he has a chance to say anything else (like ask who the hell he’s not supposed to serve) the man spins on his heel and leaves, only pausing at the door to glare at Derek one last time before disappearing down the street.

Both Isaac and Derek are silent for a long moment. Finally, Isaac whistles. “Woah,” and turns to stare at his friend. “You’ve really pissed Stiles off.”

“Stiles?”

“That’s his name. Stiles Stilinski. He was a part of my graduating class in high school.”

“Stilinski? He’s John’s son?” Isaac nods, but even with the conformation Derek can’t piece together his memories of the sheriff’s son with the man who just yelled at him. All he can picture is the spazzy kid who was best friends with Isaac’s high school crush. 

“He picked up a double major and a minor, so he’s been in school longer than the rest of us, but I guess he’s back now.”

“What does he expect from me,” he asks finally. “I can’t just not give John his order. And this is a bakery! Butter and sugar is what I do!”

Isaac laughs at his friend’s indignation. “You heard Stiles. He doesn’t care what kind of place this is.”

Derek frowns at his display and resolves to bring it up with John on his next visit.

\----------

It’s a few days before Derek has the chance to talk to John about his son. The morning after the confrontation, Boyd and Erica are the deputies that pick up the station’s order, and the day after that Jordan comes in alone. 

Finally, John waltzes in with Boyd. He smiles. “Morning, Derek. How are things going?”

Derek dusts his hands off on his apron. “Business is great, and the family is doing well. But there is something I need to talk with you about.”

John nods and takes a seat at the counter. “What’s going on?”

He scratches the back of his neck. “Well, Stiles came by the shop the other day and-.”

The sheriff groans. “Oh hell. He yelled at you, didn’t he? That kid is convinced that if I eat one thing that isn’t green, I’ll kill over.”

“He wants me to stop selling you pastries.”

That makes the older man huff. “Listen here, I’ll eat what I want. Aside from breakfast, I stick to the plan he set up for me. And the doctor’s said that my heart is healthy and that I’m doing well.” Derek just shrugs and passes over his finished coffee. John frowns at him. “If you try to stop selling me things, I’ll go talk to Talia.”

Boyd snorts. “You’re threating to tell his mom?”

John just smirks. “No, I’m threatening to tell his alpha.”

That makes Boyd, who’s a part of the pack, laugh. Derek frowns at both of them. “I wasn’t going to stop. Besides, like me refusing you service would stop you from eating what I make. You would just send one of the other deputies to pick up your order.”

John laughs. “Damn straight. Now,” he rubs his hands together, “what did you make today?”

\----------

Derek is in the back finishing up a batch of apple turnovers when the front door chimes. He recognizes the person’s scent – the bitter tang of anger and beneath that, fresh honey and lilacs. Taking a deep breath, he finishes his turnovers, washes his hands, and readies himself for an argument. 

Stiles is frozen just inside the door. His eyes are wide, his mouth parted slightly. In one of his hands, he’s holding one of the pastries that Derek had bagged up for the station earlier that day. 

When he doesn’t start yelling right away, Derek takes a moment to appreciate the man’s slim build and bright eyes. If he didn’t hate the café, he would be the werewolf’s type. 

“Can I help you,” he asks, startling Stiles who takes a few steps closer to the counter.

“What is that?” His scent of anger softens to curiosity.

Derek raises his eyebrow. “It’s a bear-claw.”

Stiles waves his free hand in the air. “Not that, though I’ll get there in a minute. I meant, what’s that smell?”

Derek looks back at the kitchen. “I have a batch of toffee crumb cakes in the oven, and fresh apple turnovers ready to go in.”

Stiles inhales deeply. “Toffee crumb cakes?”

Stephan, one of Derek’s regulars, looks up from where he’s reading the paper. “They taste just as good as they smell,” the off-duty nurse explains with a smile. 

Derek rests one hip on the counter. “They’re almost done, would you like one?”

Stiles hesitates, looking at the bear-claw in his hand, to Derek’s face, to the kitchen and back again. He nods sharply and shuffles over to one of the seats at the counter. 

Derek smiles at him once he’s comfortable. “Can I get you something to go with it?”

“Um, can I get a vanilla latte?”

“Sure.” When he sees the younger man pull out his wallet, he waves it off. “It’s on the house.”

“You don’t have to-.”

He turns to make the coffee. “It’s fine. You’re a new customer.”

Stiles looks like he wants to argue more, but Stephan cuts him off. “Take the free coffee, kid, and don’t argue.” That is finally enough for Stiles to put his wallet away. Stephan winks over at Derek and turns back to the paper. 

Derek slides the latte across the counter right as his timer goes off. He plates a crumb cake for both Stiles and Stephan and readies the rest for the display. When he comes out with the plates, Stiles is smiling into his coffee. 

Derek leans on the counter across from him. “So, what was your problem with the bear-claw?” He doesn’t really know why he asks, he doesn’t enjoy being yelled at, and the question seems to startle Stiles, who’s cheeks heat with a blush.

“You know, it’s really hard for me to keep my dad away from your pastries when you send a batch of them over to the station.” His voice is quiet. Derek’s glad that he doesn’t get angry again. 

“Sending some pastries over to the police station and the fire station each day is my way to thank the people who work there for keeping the town safe. I know a lot of people on each force, and I know how hard they work, so it seemed like something small that I can do for them.”

Stiles blinks in surprise. “Well, I can’t really yell at you for that.”

Derek laughs. “I can’t say that I’m upset about that. I don’t like being yelled at, especially for something I can’t control.”

Stiles’ expression softens. “I, uh, should probably apologize for yelling at you in the first place. I was jetlagged from the flight, and when I saw my dad eating your pastry I freaked out. It’s just, I’ve spent a lot of time making sure that he stays healthy. It’s not an excuse or anything, and I’m sorry.”

Derek shrugs, uncomfortable with the way that the conversation has turned. “It makes sense; you were just trying to look out for him.”

“But I shouldn’t have yelled at you.”

He shrugs again. “No, probably not. But it’s fine, unless you’re going to keep doing it.”

Stiles shakes his head, takes his first bite of the toffee crumb cake, and groans low in his throat. “Oh my god.”

Derek shifts uncomfortably at his vocal appreciation. He can feel his ears heating up. He’s thankful when a group of high schoolers enter the café and he has to go and take their orders. He can feel Stiles watching them as he gets their coffees ready and asks how their classes are going, but he doesn’t return to his side when he’s finished. Instead he goes back into the kitchen to check on his turnovers. 

Stiles is still sitting at the counter when Derek returns. Unexpectedly, it makes his wolf preen in satisfaction. He makes himself a latte (trying not to blush when Stiles quirks an eyebrow at his three pumps of syrup), and settles against the counter. Stephan folds up his paper and moves to the open seat beside Stiles, asking about his college courses and how his final year was.

After a while Stephan gets up. “Well, I should be off. It was good talking with you both. Derek, I’ll see you tomorrow. Stiles, tell your old man ‘hello’ from me.”

They both bid him goodbye, and then Stiles stands. “I, uh, should probably be going too. But thanks for the food and the coffee.”

Derek takes his empty mug and plate. “Of course. Have a nice day.”

He tries not to be disappointed when Stiles leaves without the promise to be back. 

\----------

The next time that Derek sees Stiles, he shows up at the café with Jordan, and he’s wearing a matching police uniform. It was the full moon the night before and Derek spent it running around with the pack, so it takes him a few seconds to file the image away in a way that makes sense. 

Jordan gives him a knowing smile. “Morning, Derek. Rough night?”

Derek flips him off and turns to make their coffee without saying a word. When he turns back, Stiles is squinting at him. 

“Oh shit,” the young man exclaims suddenly. “You’re a werewolf too? Did everyone in this town go and get supernatural while I was away?”

Derek drops the coffee he was passing to Jordan and stares at Stiles with a deer-in-the-headlights expression. 

“He’s a Hale,” is Jordan’s response as he uses napkins to clean Derek’s mess.

Now Stiles looks as surprised as Derek. “You’re a Hale? Derek Hale? Oh my god.”

“How,” Derek stutters, looking between his patrons with wide eyes. He knows that there are select members of the community who know about the Hale heritage, including Jordan and many of the other officers on the force. But Stiles was away of school when the town came together to take care of a pack of alphas. He shouldn’t even know werewolves exist.

Stiles snorts. “Please, as if that’s a secret that could have been kept from me. I work with two members of your pack. And my dad sat me down and explained everything before I accepted the position here. But you, dude! I can’t believe you’re Derek Hale. You’ve really grown into your ears.”

Jordan bursts into laughter. Derek just stares. “This is great! Boyd won’t talk to me about it, and Erica kind of scares me, so you can answer my questions. And if you’re a Hale, that means you’re a born wolf, which is even better.”

Jordan finally steps in to help his friend. “Stiles, last night was the full moon so Derek is not firing on all of his cylinders yet. And we need to get back to work.”

The younger man deflates. “Fine, but I’m coming back later.”

He shrugs. “Can I get another coffee though?”

Derek nods and gets to work making the coffee and putting the pastry bag together. He can feel Stiles eyes watching him bustle around the machinery. He would analyze why the attention pleases his wolf so much, but he doesn’t have enough energy yet to think about it. 

\----------

Stiles makes good on his promise to come back to the café when he gets out of work. Derek is still tired, but he’s sitting at the counter with his sister and her girlfriend while Isaac dozes in one of the window seats, and being around the pack makes him feel better.

He’s even had enough time to think about why his wolf is drawn to Stiles so much, and has decided to see where it goes on its own. He doesn’t want to overanalyze it. 

Needless to say, he’s feeling steady when Stiles pushes into the shop. He smiles over at him, soft and pleased.

Stiles smiles back. “Hey, Derek, how are-. Lydia?” He gets distracted, moving toward the counter. Derek can hear how his heart is racing. “I didn’t know you were in Beacon Hills.”

The redhead gives him a smile. “I got back yesterday.” She stands for a hug. “Nice uniform, Stilinski.”

He puffs out his chest in pride. “Thanks. Like father, like son, right? I have to say, I’m surprised to see you in town. I thought you were out conquering the world.”

Lydia huffs and returns to her seat. “It’s not like I can’t do that from here. Besides,” her sharp expression softens as she buries a hand in Laura’s hair, “where would I be without my partner in crime.”

Laura, who’s been laying across the counter since she came into the café, purrs.

Stiles blinks at her. “You know what, I’m not even going to ask how you left out the fact that you’re dating Laura Hale. I’m just glad to see you.” He smiles. “But as much as I’d love to catch up, I have a date with Mr. Surly Brows over there.”

Laura sits up so fast she almost falls out of her chair. Her grin is predatory. “Oh really?”

Derek feels himself flush. “He has some questions about us that I said I would answer.”

Laura doesn’t look like she believes him, which makes sense because his heart has been racing since Stiles said the word ‘date.’ “Sure, okay.”

He glares at her and takes his station behind the counter. “Can I get you anything, Stiles?”

“Just a vanilla latte, please.”

Derek, who had already begun making the drink, nods. “Pick a table, I’ll join you in a second.” He uses the time that he’s making drinks and getting them some lemon squares to calm himself down. 

When he takes the seat across from Stiles, his heart rate is steady. “So, you have questions?”

Stiles glances around the room, his gaze lingering on Isaac’s slouched form. “Um, yeah. If you’re okay with talking to me.”

Derek nods. “I don’t mind.” He tilts his head at the blond. “Isaac’s pack, so you don’t have to worry about him overhearing anything.”

That makes the younger man relax. “Okay, good.” He jumps right in. “What does being a werewolf mean? Obviously I know that there’s a shift involved, but what else. And what does it feel like to shift? Does it hurt? What does it look like? Do you turn into a wolf? Is it different for born wolves versus bitten ones? Are there any differences between the two types of werewolves at all?”

Derek’s eyes widen at the questions, making Stiles blush. “Uh, sorry. You don’t have to answer all of those if you don’t want to. I’m just really curious.”

Derek closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, and starts talking. The conversation comes easy, even though Derek’s never really talked about it before. A few customers come in while they’re talking, but Laura just waves at him to stay where he’s at and she takes care of serving them. 

Eventually, Stiles runs out of questions, but instead of leaving he just changes the subject to ask about the shop and Derek’s life. Before Derek even notices the time passing, the sun has set, Laura and everyone else has left, and it is well past when Derek usually closes the café.

Even still, Stiles keeps him company as he cleans up, and then walks with him to his car.

“Have a good night,” Derek tells the younger man in a soft voice.

Unexpectedly, Stiles pulls him in for a hug. Derek sinks into it. “I’ll see you soon,” he promises, voice just as soft. Derek believes him.

\----------

After that, Stiles becomes a permanent fixture in Derek’s life, almost as steady as the pack. He regularly becomes the person who picks up the station’s order in the morning (even though there are still days where he’ll complain about the pastries being bad for his dad’s health. It’s more of a joke than an actual complaint). And then a few times a week he’ll come by the café after his shift, setting at the counter and keeping Derek entertained. Derek also makes an effort to see him. Sometimes he’ll get one of his cousins to watch the café so he can meet up with Stiles for lunch (every time he stops by, John smirks at him like he knows all of his secrets). 

Stiles is at the café often enough that he learns the names of all of Derek’s regulars, building comradery with them the same way that Derek has. His vibrant personality draws the people in and gives them another reason to look forward to coming to café. Some of the patrons go so far as to refer to the café as _their_ shop, not just Derek’s. 

Derek enjoys Stiles’ company as much as he hates it. Stiles makes him laugh and helps him try new things. He makes Derek want to slow down and appreciate little moments instead of focusing solely on his work. He’s never really thought about having a best friend before. If pressed, he would have picked Boyd or Isaac as his best friend, or even Laura. But within a few months, Stiles easily fills that role. And Derek loves it, looks forward to their time together. 

But he can’t help but feel empty after their exchanges. No matter how often they brush together during the day, at the end of the day Stiles leaves and Derek is alone.

Yes, they’re great friends. But that’s all, and Derek wants more. He wishes that he had asked Stiles out in the beginning so that it couldn’t have ruined everything if he said no. Now Derek’s so afraid of losing his friendship that he keeps his mouth shut.

And then Laura and Lydia announced their engagement, and Derek decides that his friendship with Stiles is strong enough to survive even if Stiles rejects him. He makes a resolution to ask Stiles to be his date to the wedding. 

A few days after he makes that decision, Lydia, Allison (Lydia’s best friend who happens to be an ex-hunter who feels like pack), and Stiles are sitting at one of the tables in the café talking about the wedding. 

Derek is perched at the counter, talking to some of his customers when he hears Lydia ask Stiles, “Are you going to bring a date?”

Stiles’ breathing catches. “I hope to.”

Allison makes a positively gleeful noise when she asks, “The boyfriend?”

Derek’s whole world narrows when Stiles stutters out, “I-. Yeah.”

Stephan reaches out to touch his arm. “Derek, are you alright?”

Derek glances over at the back table and is relieved to see that no one else is paying attention to his break down. 

He forces a smile. “Yeah, sorry. What were you saying?”

Stephan shrugs and retells the story about his dog Moe chasing the rabbits out of his backyard. Soon enough Ms. Graham joins in the conversation, and the two keep each other busy enough that Derek tunes out the conversation. 

How could Stiles not tell him that he had a boyfriend? Maybe he figured out that Derek was crushing on him and didn’t want to make it awkward by bringing up someone else. Maybe he didn’t want to hurt his feelings. Or maybe it’s a new relationship and he’s only told a few people about it. He did sound shy why they asked.

Either way, Stiles has a date already and Derek feels sick. 

“Are you going to be here later,” Stiles asks, startling the werewolf out of his pity party.

Normally Derek would roll his eyes and say something snarky like ‘Nope, sorry I need to make a trip to the moon,’ and Stiles would tip his head back in laughter and respond, ‘Yeah right, you have no life.’ Then Derek would fake a glare until Stiles’ bright expression would make him laugh too.

Now all Derek does is nod. Stiles smirks. “Great! I’ll see you later, okay.”

Derek just nods again and watches as Stiles races out the door to catch up to their friends. 

Ms. Graham tuts. “When are you going to ask that boy out, hm? If you keep waiting, someone else is going to come by and snatch him up.”

He almost responds with, “He already has someone who isn’t me,” but manages to bite back the self-deprecating reply. Instead he forces a smile and turns to refill her tea.

\----------

Derek briefly considers closing early or having one of his cousins cover for him, but decides against it. He’ll have to face Stiles eventually.

When Stiles shows up, he’s wearing a nice pair of dress slacks and a maroon button up. Aside from the police uniform, it’s the nicest thing he’s ever seen Stiles wear. He’s carrying a bouquet of wild flowers. 

“What are those for,” Derek asks, wondering if he’s missed an important date. 

Stiles just smiles softly and shakes his head. “Not what. Who.”

“Oh.” He tries not to sound disappointed. If Stiles has come to him in need of some relationship advice before going out with his boyfriend, Derek will try his hardest to be happy for him and give him good advice – even if he is literally the last person to have good advice seeing as he stood by and watched the man he loves find someone else.

Stiles steps closer to the counter. “Ask me who they’re for.”

He sighs. “Who are your flowers for, Stiles?”

His smile widens. He holds the flowers out. “You.”

Confused, he reaches out and takes the bouquet. “But, what about your boyfriend?”

Stiles blinks at him. “What boyfriend?”

Derek can feel his flush in his ears. “I heard Allison ask if you were going to bring your boyfriend to the wedding.”

Unexpectedly, Stiles bursts into bright laughter. “Damn werewolves. ‘Boyfriend’ is a codename the girls came up with to tease me about my crush on you. They were talking about you.”

His hands tighten around the flowers. “You like me?”

Stiles rubs the back of his neck. “Yeah, I do. A lot actually. I was just waiting for the right moment to ask you out. When the engagement was announced, I planned on asking you to be my date closer to the wedding, but then Lydia pointed out that if I waited too long you might find another date and then I would be forced to sit by and watch you fall for someone else.”

Stiles steps in closer to the counter, close enough to rest his hands on the smooth surface. “So, Derek Hale, will you go on a date with me? Because I may be a little in love with you and don’t want to see you with anyone else.”

Derek’s smile is huge and bright. He feels warm, warmer than he’s ever been before, and his heart is pounding. “I was so upset earlier because I thought I had missed my chance with you.”

Stiles’ face lights up. “Really!”

He shrugs. “I may be a little in love with you too.”

“So it that a yes?”

“Yes, Stiles. I’m saying yes.”

The younger man fist bumps and then launches himself over the counter, nuzzling into Derek’s neck. Instead of feeling vulnerable, the action makes Derek’s wolf howl in contentment. 

Stiles lifts his head up and kisses Derek softly before pulling back to grin at him. “I’m going to date you so hard.”

Derek laughs and laughs, holding him close. “Whatever you say.”

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, my café name is way nerdy. I'm not even sorry


End file.
